Muntinlupa City

The City of Muntinlupa (Filipino: Lungsod ng Muntinlupa) is the southernmost city in Philippine National Capital Region. It is bordered on the north by Taguig City; to the northwest by Parañaque City; by Las Piñas City to the west; to the southwest by the municipality of Bacoor, Cavite; by the municipality of San Pedro, Laguna; and by Laguna de Bay to the east, the largest lake in the country. It is classified as a Highly Urbanized City[1] with a population of more than 400,000[2] and is given the nickname "Emerald City of the Philippines" by the tourism establishment.[citation needed]
Muntinlupa was once notoriously known as the location of the national insular penitentiary, the New Bilibid Prison, where the country's most dangerous criminals were incarcerated. Consequently, Muntinlupa or "Munti" became synonymous
with the national penitentiary although it has largely shaken-off this
negative image to become one of the most progressive cities in the
country.

Muntinlupa is also home to some of the best commercial establishments in the metropolis and is the location of Ayala Alabang Village, one of the country's biggest and most expensive residential communities, where many of the wealthy and famous live.

Economy and development

BarangayAlabang,
part of the second district of Muntinlupa, has undergone tremendous
growth mainly due to a development boom in the late 1990s. The
development of two large scale commercial real estate projects namely;
the Filinvest Corporate City and Ayala Land's Madrigal Business Park,
changed the landscape of Muntinlupa City from what was once vast fields
of cow pasture in the late 1980s, into a supercity that houses new
residential, business, industrial and commercial establishments. It was a
transformation reminiscent of Makati City's development boom some 30 years prior.

Some of the country's premier shopping centers, including the Alabang Town Center and the Festival Supermall, the towering Insular Life Towers, the Asian Hospital and Medical Center,
and the Northgate Business District, which specializes in hosting
information and technology industries, are important places of interest
and landmarks of the city. Nightlife is still relatively staid compared
to those of its neighbors, and younger residents often flock to other
cities in Metro Manila, particularly Makati, Taguig, or Manila, during the weekend to enjoy the night out.

This city has recently acquired the status "Most Competitive City" and the "Most Improved City" in the Philippines.[citation needed]

History of the name

The history of the name “Muntinlupa” comes from at least three stories.

First, its association with the thin topsoil in the area.

Second, residents, purportedly replying to a question by Spaniards in the 16th century what the name of their place was, said “Monte sa Lupa”—apparently mistaking the question for what card game they were playing.

Third, the topographical nature of the area, where the term Monte or mountain was expanded to Muntinlupa or mountain land.

Some documents suggest that the first and third versions of Muntinlupa and Monte sa Lupa
respectively eventually became Muntinlupa either through misspelling or
mispronunciation. But no record to date can firmly establish which of
the three versions is historically correct.

Muntinlupa is an old term that refers to a barangay hence called as Munting Lupa (which means a smaller branch of a city or a municipality, often referred to a county) now known as the Población. As early as 1800, the Catholic priest Father Joaquín de Zúñiga chronicled it as La poblacion que sigue se llama Muntinlupa and Muntinglupa was used as the Tagalog term for the city during the American era.

Historical Landmarks

The Bureau of Corrections Administration Building - This is a
prison facade that houses the offices of the prison administration. The
maximum security compound, consisting of 12 buildings called brigades
are located at the western side of the facade. The structures were built
in 1941, but it is the area of the medium security compound that is
being shown in movies and in television. The maximum security compount
was never shown in TV or in movies, except for the Office of the
Director and the front view of the Maximum Security Compound.

Jamboree Lake - This is the smallest natural lake in the
country, a favorite hang-out spot for nature lovers, as well as ordinary
passers-by looking for a cool respite from the tropical heat. The lake
has been in existence since time immemorial.

Memorial Hill - This is a small hill in the NBP reservation
compound that cradles a World War II Vintage Japanese canon. The hill is
likewise the burial place of Eriberto Misa the famous Prison`s Director
from 1937 to 1949.

Director's Quarters - The structure manifest an influence of a
pre-war architecture that characterizes the outstanding edifice. This
was built simultaneously with the Administration Building in 1941. This
is also the official residence of the Director of Bureau of Corrections.

The Japanese Garden Cemetery - The cemetery is a burial place of Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Japanese general who became famous during the Japanese occupation of the country.

Government

Muntinlupa City is governed primarily by the city mayor, the
vice-mayor and the city councilors. The mayor acts as the chief
executive of the city while the city councilors acts as its legislative
body. The vice-mayor, besides taking on mayoral responsibilities in case
of a temporary vacancy, acts as the presiding officer of the city
legislature. The legislative body is composed of 16 regular members (8
per district) and representatives from the barangay and the youth
council.[4]

Muntinlupa City is composed of a lone congressional district, and two
legislative districts which are further subdivided into nine Barangay.
Legislative District One contains four Barangays in the southern half
of the city, while legislative District Two occupies the five Barangays
in the northern portion of the city.

While Barangays are the administrative divisions of the city, and are
legally part of the addresses of establishments and homes, many
residents indicate their subdivision (village) instead of their
Barangay. Listed below are the Barangays in each district and known
subdivisions.